THE CHARLOTTE Hornets were one of a few teams that could consider themselves unlucky heading into the 2025 NBA Draft, sliding down at the draft lottery and finding their first selection outside the top three despite enduring another tough campaign.

Although superstar point guard LaMelo Ball impressed whenever he was on the court and Brandon Miller showed plenty in his second season with the team, the Hornets were only able to win 19 games this season, and were the second worst team in the Eastern Conference with a record of 19 wins and 63 losses.

Expecting to secure one of the top three picks in the NBA Draft next month, the Hornets unfortunately slid down to the fourth selection, although they will be able to still select an elite talent from that position given how stacked the draft class is this year.

With the Hornets still struggling to take their young team to the next level, adding another key piece to the roster will be crucial, so there will be a lot of intrigue around who they take with the fourth pick on night one of the draft.

Charlotte Hornets

Draft Selections

4, 33, 34

Contracted Players

LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, Jusuf Nurkic, Grant Williams, Josh Green, Brandon Miller (team option), Josh Okogie (non-guaranteed), Tidjane Salaun, Mark Williams (team option), Nick Smith Jr. (team option), DaQuan Jeffries (non-guaranteed), Moussa Diabate (non-guaranteed)

The Hornets still have a reasonably young roster, built around Ball, Miller and Williams, and now have the opportunity to add another key piece, ideally at the shooting guard position given Bridges is cemented in the starting lineup too.

One of the biggest storylines throughout the past few months has been the battle between VJ Edgecombe and Ace Bailey for the third selection, given Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper will occupy the top two spots respectively.

While the Hornets will be reliant on the moves of the Philadelphia 76ers, who have the third selection and will shape Charlotte’s decision. However, there are certainly positives for the Hornets leaving Chicago with either prospect.

Edgecombe does offer a bit more safety as a prospect, and will slot into the lineup nicely in between Ball and Miller. He has an excellent ability to attack the rim going downhill, brings elite athleticism and has potential as a secondary ball-handler as a player, all of which would improve the Hornets in a big way, so he would have an immediate impact.

If the Sixers opt to select Edgecombe with pick three, the Hornets will then adjust their sights to Bailey, who has a higher ceiling of the two. It is hard to pinpoint a better pure shotmaker than Bailey, who can make even the most difficult of shot attempts find the bottom of the net. Alongside Ball and Miller, the Hornets would have an elite trio of scorers that could shape the team’s offensive structure in the future.

A left-field option here could be Tre Johnson, who would be classed as a tier below the two players above but is still an excellent choice in his own right. A seriously clutch shotmaker, strong ball-handler and excellent shooter, Johnson can also operate off the ball and may be a nice fit for the core Charlotte is building.

With their consecutive picks early in the second round, the Hornets will be looking to take the best players available, but could certainly do with adding to their three-point shooting, after ranking second-last in this area. Koby Brea could be a viable option here, who has long-range shotmaking as his one-wood and could certainly find a spot in the rotation.